Weekly Topics/Archive
July 2013
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It's so hot every day, isn't it?
I've been caring for my dog Mack since last month.
Because of it, it's been a while since I went cycling.
Off course, I just don't want to pedal a bike in this hot weather.
After two months, the season for cyclist will come, you know.
I'd forgotten about the entry in the 100 Km course of Minami Boso Cycling Festa which
will be held in September.
When I saw the organizer's homepage for my entry, I found out that I have to get on
standby because this course has already reached its capacity.
I received an e-mail from JTB sport station in a timely manner at the time.
I read an article about the call for entries in the 2013 Awazishima Longride 150 on
September 23rd as one of the recommended events in it.
I decided to participate in this event immediately and have finally completed
the entry.
This longride follows a 150-Kilometer course that starts and finishes at
Akashi Kaikyo
National Government Park and cycles round Awaji Island in the clockwise
direction, and
is commonly called Awaichi.
A 150-Kilometer course which cycle round
Awaji Island |
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Please click the picture to enlarge it
Difference in height of the course
Reprinted from the website
“2013淡路島ロングライド150”
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On the day we will start there in turns between 5:45 AM and 7:00 AM.
So I have to stay somewhere near the park the day before.
I had difficulty finding a place to stay the night.
At any rate, since about a month has passed after a call for the entries
was put out,
all the small hotels, guest houses, Japanese inns and pensions were already
booked up
on that date.
There is my previous company's recreation facility on this island, but
it takes about
an hour and a half by bike from here to the starting place.
I had no choice but to reserve the Westin Hotel Awaji Island next to the
event site.
The hotel charges were hugely expensive.
Although I'm a person from the Kansai region, I've never experienced Awaichi.
I'm looking forward to having a good opportunity to do that.
Furthermore, I'm going to participate in the event, “Cycling Shimanami
2013
on October 20th”, for which was put out a call in the quarterly magazine,
“Cycling Japan(Summer)”.
“Setouchi Shimanami Kaido Expressway” links Onomichi, Hiroshima prefecture,
with Imabari, Ehime prefecture.
It's a 60 kilometer-long highway exclusively for automobiles that links
the islands of
the Seto Inland Sea with nine individual bridges.
Each bridge consists of a road way and a pedestrian walkway.
It received the highest evaluation in Japan among the recommended cycling
course
which Nihon Keizai Shimbun Inc. designed.
It's one of the course on which I'd like to ride my bike at least once.
This event will be held on the Ehime Prefecture side of the Kaido, which starts and finishes at New Imabari City.
I'm going to enter a 110 Kilometer-long Omishima course from three courses.
In this event, the highway exclusively for automobiles will be opened up
to cyclists wholly
in the outward way and partially in the homeward way.
The opening date for applications is July 10th.
Each course is strictly limited to 1,000 people.
Since the fixed number of participants is small, it's expected to be sold
out soon.
I have to be careful not to forget the entry this time.
Anyway, I can hardly wait for the cycling season again.
Why don't you join us for this event?
[Note] longride ； ロングライド,care for 〜 ； 〜を介護する
just don't want to 〜；とてもじゃないが 〜 したくない
get on standby；キャンセル待ちする, reach one's capacity；定員に達する
in a timely manner；タイミング良く, call for entries；募集の案内
follows a course；コ−スをたどる, in the clockwise direction；時計回りに
Akashi Kaikyo National Government Park；淡路島国営明石海峡公園
in turns ；順番に，have difficulty doing； 〜する苦労をする
put out a call for 〜 ; 〜を募集する, be booked up；予約で満席(室)である
previous company；以前勤めていた会社,recreation facility；保養所
have no choice but to do 〜；やむをえず〜する, 〜するしかない
hugely；極めて, look forward to 〜；〜を楽しみにしている
quarterly magazine；季刊誌, link A with B；AをB と結びつける
exclusively for 〜；〜専用の, Seto Inland Sea；瀬戸内海
at least once ；一度は,open up to 〜；〜に開放する, outward； 外へ向かう
homeward；帰途の,opening date for applications；募集開始日
each course is strictly limited to 1,000 people；各コ−スの定員は1,000名だ
can hardly wait for 〜；〜が待ち遠しい、 Why don't you ； 〜しませんか?
Japanese Diary / No.543−2013.07.10 / 「今シ−ズンのロングライドの計画」
The first half of this year has already passed and we are now at the beginning of the other half.
As the proverv says, “time flies.”
I heard the rainy season finally ended in Amami area.
After 2 weeks or so, midsummer will come here,too.
When I went out for lunch, I took some pictures of flowers blooming by
the roadside and
in the front yard of a home on the way.
Those are flowers in July.
Campsis grandiflora |
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Please click on the picture to enlarge it
This is a kind of orchids of Western origin grown in a pot.
According to a tag which was stickd in the pot, the name of the flower
is Doritaenopsis.
Two weeks ago, it began to bloom taking four years since my wife bought
it.
It bloomed one by one and has four flowers now.
It's a lovely flower, isn't it ?
I added it to one of the flower in July.
[Note] as proverb says ；諺にもある通り, time flies ； 光陰矢のごとし
by the roadside ；道端で, in the front yard of a home；民家の庭先で
Campsis grandiflora；ノウゼンカ(凌霄花), Hibiscus mutabilis；フヨウ(芙蓉)
Canna (or canna lily)；(花)カンナ, orchid of Western origin；西洋ラン(蘭)
pot；植木鉢,one by one；一つずつ
Japanese Diary / No.542−2013.07.01 / 「7 月の花」
It has been 18 years since an abandoned dog, sheltie, which had been protected
at
an animal hospital became a member of my family.
The dog is 18 years and 4 months old.
This is equivalent to over 100 years in human terms.
The dog's name is Mack.
He has been weakened and his senile dementia has been progressing.
I received a request from my wife to care for him.
Since then I have been living in Yokohama.
It's because I was put in charge of him and have cared for him during the
day because
my wife has not finished her career.
Mack had been in his twilight years up until just two months ago.
At that time, although his leg muscles got weakened, he regularly walked.
He was so fine as to press me to take him for a walk.
Recently, he lost weight to 5 kilograms or so, less than half of the past
weight and
so looks painful because I see his ribs.
Since his physical strength has been in decline, he can no longer walk
and manage
to stand up on his own.
Mack sleeps until around 9 AM every day.
That's about the same for me.
Sometimes he sleeps till noon.
I can see his wake-up hearing some noises coming from the upstairs bed
room.
In many cases he has widdled on a diaper.
My daily routine starts with changing it.
And then I carry him to his dedicated cage in our living room on the ground
floor and
feed him some breakfast.
The amount of his eating decreased by half but he has a good appetite.
His foods are pet food DEBBY for senior dogs and some milk.
Because of his weakening of physical strength and visual disorder, I help
him to eat
with a spoon.
It might be because he is suffering from dementia.
When I feed him food, he eat it without limit.
Thus I limit the amount of food to 1.5 cans of DEBBY.
Sometimes he wrongly eat my finger.
He has drunk only milk as fluids since he was given it in order to have
hardy legs.
After all, two hours or so just flies by.
After meal, Mack sleeps like the dead.
At last, I can take my time.
I do what I want to do or get out for a little while.
He took a crap while walking around but isn't able to do that any more.
And so he do that in a diaper.
When his stool is not hard but diarrhetic, I'm uncomfortable.
Especially, when it's out of the diaper, I hve to do such a lot of job
as wiping
his bottom, washing some dirty sheets and hanging outside.
Most recently, he took a crap only once every few days.
It might be because he has a decreased ability to pump feces due to his
decreased strength.
As the proof, it takes a long time to defecate.
At the time, I can see that Mack is using extraordinary energy.
I felt sorry for him and so began to help him to defecate.
I pinch his sphincter of the anus with my two fingers and push feces out
of it.
After that, Mack who exhausted himself fall asleep with relief as if he
was relieved
from suffering.
Since a few days ago, he got constipated for 3 days, I cut down on food
or didn't feed
him it.
And he got exhausted like the dead.
I was very surprised to see it and took him to the animal hospital.
For the next 4 days, he was put on a drip there to increase his body strength.
It costs about 6,000 yen per visit because I don't have dog insurance.
It's really tough for a pensioner.
I can enjoy golf three times at the expense.
I have such another cycle in the evening.
I change diapers 3 or 4 times a day.
My daily life of caring for my dog means a repeat of this cycle.
Yeah, it mentally tires me a lot.
Is there anything that I can get out of this terrible situation ?
I'm afraid he don't have much time left.
However, I'm amazed by his vital power.
I would like to give him as long extra days as possible as a member of
my family.
Not only Mack but also the world of humans in Japan is aging.
We have the year 2025 problem ahead, I heard.
That is to say, all the baby boomers will become 75 years old in 2025 and also
the percentage of an aged single-occupant household will increase.
As a result, the declining birth rate and the aging population will reach
a high level.
There is the term, “Souboku kokudo sikkai zyoubutsu” as one of the dogma
in the
Tendai sect of Buddhism.
Aside from the deep thought, literally speaking, I also might infinitely
get close to
Buddha and stay alive hard by myself at that time.
Caring for Mack, I just had such a thought partly in my mind.
Finally, I give you a picture of him in his young days because I feel sorry that I post
a recent picture of him on this Web page.
[Note] sheltie ； シェルティ( Shetland Sheepdog の愛称)
abandoned dog ； 捨て犬, be equivalent to 〜；〜に相当する,等しい
in human terms；人間の年齢に換算すると
be weakened ；衰弱している, senile dementia；老年性痴呆症
be put in charge of 〜；〜の担当になる,in one's twilight years ；黄昏期の
leg muscles；脚の筋肉、 so as --- to 〜；〜する程---である
press someone to 〜；人に〜するようせがむ, lose weight ; 体重が減る
look painful ；痛々しい, rib；あばら骨, no longer；もはや〜でない
manage to 〜；〜するのがやっとだ, 何とか〜する
be about the same；ほぼ同じである,どっこいどっこいである
wake-up；目覚め、 widdle on a diaper； オムツの上におしっこを漏らす
daily routine；日課、 dedicated ；専用の, feed；(動物に)餌を与える
the amount of one'seating；食事の量、 have a good appetite；食欲がある
weakening of physical strength ; 体力の弱体化、visual disorder ； 視力障害
dementia；認知症、 hardy ； 丈夫な、The time just flies by. ； あっというまに時間が過ぎる
took a crap ； うんこ/糞便をする， diarrhetic; 下痢の、wipe one's bottom; (人の)お尻を拭く
feces / stool; 糞便、 have a decreased ability to 〜 ； 〜する能力が低下している
defecate ； 排便する，extraordinary ； 並々ならぬ, 途方もない
I feel sorry for him ； 彼がかわいそうです、 pinch ； つまむ、sphincter ； 括約筋
anus ； 肛門, fall asleep ； 眠りに着く、with relief; 安堵して
exhaust oneself ； 体力を消耗する、get constipated ; 便秘になる
cut down on 〜 ； 〜の量を減らす、get exhausted like the dead ；死んだようにぐったりする
be put on a drip；点滴を受ける, get out of 〜；〜から逃げ出す
don't have much time left ；余命幾ばくも無い, vital power ；生命力
give someone some extra days；人を何日か長生きさせる
the year 2025 problem；2025 年問題, baby boomer；団塊の世代
single-occupant household；単身世帯
the declining birth rate and the aging population；少子高齢化
Souboku kokudo sikkai zyoubutsu；草木国土悉皆成仏, dogma；教義
Tendai sect of Buddhism；天台宗,aside from 〜； 〜はさておき
Japanese Diary / No.541−2013.06.29 /「愛犬マックの介護生活」
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